Court approves 3M multi-billion dollar settlement over PFAS in public drinking water systems
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota-based chemical manufacturer 3M will begin payments this summer to many U.S. public drinking water systems as part of a multi-billion-dollar settlement over contamination with potentially dangerous chemicals, the company said.
Communities in the east metro are especially impacted by the contamination.
3M announced Monday that last year's lawsuit settlement received final approval from the U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina.
The agreement called for payouts through 2036. Depending on what additional contamination is found, the amount paid out will range from $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion.
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"This is yet another important step forward for 3M as we continue to deliver on our priorities. The final approval of this settlement and continued progress toward exiting all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025 will further our efforts to reduce risk and uncertainty as we move forward," 3M's chairman and CEO, Mike Roman, said in a news release.
Six years ago, 3M settled with the state for $850 million for disposing the chemicals and contaminating drinking water and our environment — one of the largest settlements of its kind in the country.
The deal compensates water providers for pollution with per- and polyfluorinated substances, known collectively as PFAS — a broad class of chemicals used in nonstick, water- and grease-resistant products such as clothing and cookware.
PFAS have been described as "forever chemicals" because they don't degrade naturally in the environment. They've been linked to a variety of health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers.
The compounds have been detected at varying levels in drinking water nationwide. The Environmental Protection Agency in March 2023 proposed strict limits on two common types, PFOA and PFOS, and said it wanted to regulate four others. Water providers would be responsible for monitoring their systems for the chemicals.
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A new state law passed last year will ban PFAS in some consumer products starting in 2025 with a full ban in 2032. But prevention is only one part of the solution. Some communities like Woodbury and St. Louis County also want lawmakers to approve funding for PFAS mitigation in their infrastructure package this year.
The 3M settlement first announced in June came in a lawsuit by Stuart, Florida, one of about 300 communities that had filed similar suits against companies that produced firefighting foam or the PFAS it contained. The payment will help cover the costs of filtering PFAS from systems.
Some of the settlement money will help additional water systems test for contamination from PFAS, said Scott Summy, one of the lead attorneys for those suing 3M and other manufacturers. They have until June 2026 to apply for compensation if contamination is found.
"That's great news for American citizens who drink from that water," Summy said. "It'll help rid our public drinking water systems of PFAS, and that's the most important thing about the settlement."
3M pledged in late 2022 that the company would stop manufacturing and using PFAS by the end of 2025.